Pari Shirazi, the former founder and head of Tisch Asia and professor at Tisch School of the Arts, will finally have her day in court – the New York appellate court, after 4 years of litigation, has reinstated Shirazi's defamation and employment claims against NYU, NYU’s former President John Sexton, and others. Shirazi v. NYU et al., Index. No. 103886/12 (N.Y. First Dept. Oct. 25, 2016).

According to court documents, Shirazi alleged that NYU defamed her, breached her contract as an Associate Arts Professor, failed to comply with NYU's Disciplinary Regulations, and failed to follow applicable procedures.

According to court documents, Shirazi alleged that former President Sexton shut down Tisch Asia to further his personal pet project to create NYU’s global university.

Shirazi declared, “I am thrilled. This case has been heavy on my heart. After years of fighting, I finally feel like I’ve been heard.”

According to court documents, Shirazi alleged that she had arrived in the United States as a political refugee from Iran, worked her way up from NYU's Bursar's Office, and toiled at NYU for 30 years before being forced out.